Republicans are preparing themselves for what some are saying a contentious battle for the next coronavirus relief bill. Democrats are pledging that they want the federal government to take over US elections.
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally relented on the last coronavirus relief package she said that she is going pursue changing voting methods in the next bill.
“Vote-by-mail is essential to protecting the future of our democracy as we confront this public health crisis. There is no legitimate argument against enacting it,” Pelosi said last week:
Vote-by-mail is essential to protecting the future of our democracy as we confront this public health crisis. There is no legitimate argument against enacting it. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/WPgOgIivK0
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 3, 2020
Republicans and the President have slammed Democrats for using the coronavirus to try an alter US elections.
Politico reported that the phase 3 bill that passed last week provided $400 million for election security grants, “which can be used broadly, including to expand vote-by-mail options and early voting, as well as to clean polling facilities and conduct public education campaigns.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is the leading Democrat pushing the vote-by-mail effort with Speaker Pelosi.
But Democrats want to take things further:
Citing the move by some Republicans to delay primaries amid coronavirus concerns, Klobuchar said that she is “looking at that next package to get the funding included” as well as some additional reforms, like removing state requirements that voters present an excuse to vote absentee.
“That’s premature. Around the world we’ve had people in new democracies go to vote when their lives were at risk because the right to vote was so precious,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said, according to Politico. “Most Americans would be very skeptical of significant changes in our ability to go cast a ballot in person, certainly at this point.”
“States should run state’s elections,” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) stated. “Washington D.C. should not run the state’s elections. So if a state determines that’s the way it wants to go, a state should make that decision.”
Democrats need to tread lightly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned Democrats against, “taking advantage of the crisis to do things that are unrelated to the crisis.”
